Jan. 25, 2013

Today the book club will be discussing TheAndromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. What did you think of the book?

You can share your thoughts on the book by calling in during the live broadcast from 3:30 to 4:00 ET (800-989-8255) and also chat here in the comments section. Or, join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #SciFriBookClub.

No one — except possibly Mr. Crichton himself — ever confused [Crichton's books] with great literature, but very few readers who started a Crichton novel ever put it down.

Did you find TheAndromeda Strain to be a page turner? Did you like the style of writing?

In the video below, Michael Crichton talks about how people making predictions about the future are usually entirely wrong. Do you think science fiction can play a role in our understanding of the future?

In this video, Richard Preston talks about a harrowing visit to a U.S. Army biocontainment lab. (His hazmat suit had a hole in it. Terrifying!) Did the safety precautions and proposed solutions to the problem in TheAndromeda Strain seem plausible to you? Were there any parts during which you thought, "There's no way that would really happen!"? If you did notice errors in the science or faulty logic in decision-making, did they detract from the story?

About Leslie Taylor

Leslie is the online editor at Workboat.com and NationalFisherman.com. She has a background in oceanography and is passionate about getting non-scientists and young people to realize how cool science can be. She is also Science Friday's former web editor.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Science Friday.